Valentino,
Rudolph (1895-1926), Italian-born
American film actor, who was
idolized as a romantic, exotic
lover. Born Rodolpho Guglielmi in
Castellaneta, he arrived in New
York in 1913 and became a
professional ballroom dancer. In
1918 he began to appear in minor
roles in Hollywood films.
Valentino first achieved fame in
The Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse (1921), but his
greatest popularity came
with

The Sheik (1921).

He
also starredin
Blood and Sand (1922), Monsieur Beaucaire
(1923), and The Son of the Sheik (1926).

A
gifted actor with dark, intense eyes,
Valentino was idolized by millions of
women, although his reputation as a strong
character suffered somewhat after his
marriage to his second wife, the
domineering Natasha Rambova. Nevertheless,
he was deeply mourned after his unexpected
death, with a posthumous cult emerging
amongst distressed female fans, some even
committing suicide, it was claimed, in
their grief.